Doctor on Mars
by Discarded Dream
Summary: When the Doctor and Jack get sent to Manchester in 1973, things are bound to get crazy, especially since Sam Tyler looks so much like the Master… he couldn’t be the Master though, could he? Rated T for language, violence, and mentions of suicide
1. Chapter One: You're Nicked!

**Author's Notes: **I'm back! (Azn-Cool-Chan) For those curious about Friendly Fire, it is going very well at the moment. I think I might post chapter one as a teaser to get some feedback soon.

I'm not really a fan of Xovers but this was killing me from within and had to be written down. Especially after I saw that not many fictions were written for Life on Mars… (there aren't many when you weed out the Ashes to Ashes fictions.) Sam needs more love.

**Warnings: **Some gore near the end, swearing, violence… basically Gene being Gene, and Jack being Jack. Honestly, when you put these two in a fiction, there isn't much more you can say.

**Disclaimer: **I obviously don't own Doctor Who or Life on Mars. If I did then Sam would totally be in Ashes to Ashes and neither of the mentioned shows would be any good or famous. I do, on occasion dream of owning them though...

**Summary: **When the Doctor and Jack get sent to Manchester in 1973, things are bound to get crazy, especially since Sam Tyler looks so much like the Master… he couldn't be him though, could he?

My first LoM and DW fiction, forgive my inability to "write in an English accent". I couldn't think of how to reword this. I hope you inderstand what I mean.

* * *

**Chapter One: You're Nicked!**

Rain was pouring from the heavens as a brown Ford Cortina sped through the streets of Manchester, splashing anyone unlucky enough to be situated too closely to a puddle as it passed by.

"I think we should slow down," DC Chris Skelton suggested as the car almost hit yet another building, the fifth one in three minutes… not that he was counting.

"Aw shut it, you great big lump of a girl," was the gruff reply from the driver's seat, "Those buggers aren't gonna sit there quietly and wait for the coppers to get 'em."

"We won't be able to arrest them if we're a crumpled piece of scrap metal on a side of the barber shop," DI Sam Tyler said cringing as the car's wheels slid in protest.

"Bloody wankers," DCI Gene Hunt muttered as overtook another three cars.

"Guv, I don't normally agree with Tyler but I think today…" began DS Ray Carling, "WATCH OUT!"

Somehow, the Cortina managed to swerve by the elderly pedestrian without flipping over. Gene cranked the window open to hurl a few choice words at the unfortunate woman.

"Close the window Hunt, you're getting us all wet," was the annoyed comment made by WPC Annie Cartwright.

"I get that a lot luv," was the reply as the window was cranked back up.

Annie rolled her eyes at the comment while Ray hooted.

Turning away from the back of the car, Sam looked through the windshield with his head resting on his fist. With a sigh he smiled wearily, _just another normal day_, was the thought that went through his head.

On the word of an informant - also known as a person whom they've converted through force to spill their guts, the team was rushing to an abandoned factory on the outskirts of Manchester where as suspected group of drug dealers were conducting their illegal activities. The team have been on their tail for a week now, each day that passed made Gene more irritable, needless to say, the team was worried about how this affected his already violent driving coupled with the heavy rain and wet roads.

It had been three months since the incident in the train tunnel - three months since he'd jumped off the police headquarters building - three months since he'd left his mother in 2006. He felt guilty for leaving her alone; after all she'd been through and all she did to get him back. _She'll understand... _was what he told himself, _she wants me to be happy._ He told himself this every night before he went to bed and each morning when he woke up, he almost believed it now. He also felt sorry for the poor souls who scraped him off the pavement. It must not have been a pretty sight.

"Oi, Tyler, are you gonna sit there all day or are we gonna catch us some arse wipes?" came the gruff voice of Gene Hunt that snapped him out of his thoughts.

Sam smiled his trademark schoolboy grin and hopped out of the car. He hadn't noticed they had already arrived at the factory. "Sorry guv."

"Okay lads… and lady," Gene corrected, "I say we bust through that door and get 'em miserable sods with their breeches down. We all clear?"

Chris looked like he was going to make a comment about hoping to not actually catch them with their breeches down, this happened to the team on a raid several weeks ago but with a look from Gene, Chris decided to remain silent.

"Yes, guv," was the simultaneous reply as they pulled out their guns.

The four police officers crept to the large steel double doors, guns cocked and ready, waiting for Gene to kick down the doors.

The door buckled and opened with an accompanying crash. "Freeze! Police!" Sam shouted through the small dust storm that the doors had made.

The dust eventually settled and the team was surprised to see that there was no one in the factory. In fact, it seemed abandoned; there were thick layers of dust covering every inch of the factory.

The team advanced slowly into the factory. "Keep your guard up," was Sam's advice to the team, "They might hiding."

"I doubt it," Ray said, relaxing his grip on the gun, "'ere's no way in 'ell they could move around 'ere without leaving footsteps in this shit."

The team advanced slowly and quietly into the gloom of th seemingly abandoned factory.

"Oh fuckin' 'ell," Chris cried out.

"What is it Skelton?" Annie asked as she approached him.

Chris was standing with his mouth open, eyes wide, and arms hanging limply at his side, he had dropped his gun which clanged loudly making everyone jump.

"Skelton, I believe WPC Cartwright asked you a question, what's wrong with you? Respond!" Gene barked.

Sam was the first to get to Chris. "Skelton, what's wr- oh my god," Sam's eyes widened.

"Fuck, that's sick," Ray agreed as neared the two officers.

On the ground lay a blood body. Bloody was a bit of an understatement. It seemed that someone had completely carved out the chest cavity of what formerly was a person. The guts were carelessly scattered around the body. There were cuts on the limbs and face which suggested that the victim had struggled. Blank blue eyes stared up hauntingly at the team and his mouth was open wide, as if he were screaming.

"That's Henry," Annie said, shocked.

Henry had been their informant, apparently, he had been caught. This gang apparently, didn't like traitors.

"Poor soul," Gene said as he lit up a cigarette, "Anyway, DS Carling, take a look around 'ere, we might find some of the drugs they've been selling. WPC Cartwright, call up forensics, you two, we're gonna look for 'em sickos." He motioned at Sam and Chris, who was still looking rather pale.

"Yes guv," the team replied grimly as they set out to perform their tasks.

* * *

There was a reason – okay, several reasons why the Doctor didn't travel with Captain Jack Harkness. One: He couldn't stand the man most times, he was forever trying to hook up with just about anything with a hole. Two: The TARDIS didn't like Jack, he was a fixture in time, never aging, never dying. He was unnatural, time travel with him in the TARDIS made thing unpredictable. Three: Whenever he was with Jack, they always got in trouble. This time was no exception.

Once again, the Doctor found himself traveling the galaxy alone. Maybe it was better this way, he had mused to himself; it would save him the pain of saying goodbye. Goodbye was not something new to the Doctor; it was kind of hard to avoid it when you lived several lifetimes longer than most humans.

Suddenly, the TARDIS lurched forward sending the doctor crashing to the wall. "What's wrong girl?" he asked as he started pushing buttons and pulling levers in an attempt to regain control.

The TARDIS flipped violently in response. "Com'on girl, steady." The Doctor cranked a few more levers and pounded the various buttons on the control pad.

Suddenly, the TARDIS started to shake violently, throwing the Doctor around like a rag doll. He wasn't sure which way was up anymore as he was thrown from side to side and flipped several times. After some time, he stopped moving, well he was still moving, but downwards. That wasn't a good sign. He opened his eyes and realized that he was falling, the TARDIS for the first time, had thrown him out. He watched as the ground cam hurling at him he shut his eyes and braced for impact but when he didn't feel any pain he opened his eyes.

He was lying on the roof of an old factory. He assumed the TARDIS had somehow used its gravity defying powers to keep him from smashing into the ground. The second thing that fell through the air wasn't so lucky. He smashed through the room with a tremendous amount of force. This sent the two people through the roof and down through three floors of the factory.

By this time, he had a pretty good idea of what, or in this case, who was the cause of this disturbance. There was only one thing that could make the TARDIS react like that.

"Jack Harkness… YOU…" he managed to cough out through the dust that polluted the air.

He didn't manage to get more out when suddenly he felt several pairs of hands pinning him down to the ground. "YOU'RE NICKED!" was shout he heard beside his ear.

* * *

Well there you go, chapter one. For those who got my John Barrowman reference (anything with a hole) good job. I'll try to update weekly, (I probably shall since I'm really excited about this fiction.)

Thanks for reading, and please review, it will get more exciting as the story goes on.

~Discarded Dream


	2. Chapter Two: Converse

**Author Note: **Special thanks to MadeComplexicated for the first review. (I don't think that counts because you're basically stalking me ;P)

**Disclaimer: **Not my TARDIS, I'm just showing some friends around it. (Kudos to you if you get what I mean, if not search "tonight's the night doctor who" on Youtube. On of the best six minutes I've spent my life on. (Yes I'm one crazy fangirl. All I can really say about that clip is that his is ONE lucky guy and I'm insanely jealous.)

* * *

**Chapter Two: Converse**

Gene Hunt glared at the man he was interrogating. If he were to guess his age, he'd say the man was in his late twenties, early thirties. He was annoyed because the man didn't seem at all intimidated by him. On the contrary, he looked amused. He wondered if the man was mentally stable, not that this mattered. Even if the man was the most insane loony he would ever meet, Gene Hunt swore he'd lock him up for good.

"Name?" he barked, hoping to get the man to show some fear. Honestly, he thought being a copper actually meant something these days.

"Smith, John Smith," the Doctor replied easily. It was his trademark alias.

"John Smith…" the DCI repeated frowning, what kind of name was John friggn' Smith? "Okay, listen 'ere Mister Smith-."

"Actually, it's Doctor Smith," the Doctor replied cheekily, "Although I'm technically-."

"I don't give a rat's arse about your title, _Doctor. _What I care about is whether or not you killed Henry Fletcher," he interrupted.

"Henry Fletcher? I don't think so," the Doctor replied, "Never met anyone named Henry-,"

"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT YOU KNEW THE MAN," the DCI snapped as he grabbed the Doctor's collar, "Did you kill him or not?!"

The Doctor calmly looked into Gene's eyes, "No."

Gene glared and let the man drop back down onto his chair.

"Liar, you were discovered at the scene of the crime," Gene countered starting up a smoke.

"I'm sorry but I really must inform you that smoking has very negative side effects to both the smoker and those around them. Actually it is more damaging to those around them than the smoker themselves. I would advise you not to-," The Doctor started.

"Does it look like I give a damn? No, so answer the flippin' question before I damage you more than my smoke can!" the DCI interrupted. This was why he hated doctors.

The Doctor shrugged. "I was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. You see I was traveling with my friend – the other chap you have locked up and we got lost is all," The Doctor explained.

"Got lost… In a factory?" Gene replied skeptically, "In the middle of nowhere."

"Yes, we um, fell onto the roof. I don't think that it was made properly because the roof gave away," The Doctor elaborated.

"What were you doin' on a bloody roof?" Gene asked, either this man had some serious mental issues or he was lying. Most times it was the latter, but there was something about this John Smith that made him uneasy.

"Er, my friend lost his cat…" The Doctor suggested.

Gene smiled in a would-be-friendly way as he leaned toward The Doctor, his cigarette just centimetres away from his face. "You know what _John Smith? _I RECKON YOU'RE A BLOODY LIAR," Gene shouted at the unfortunate man.

"Whoa, calm down there, stress isn't good for your health," The Doctor said leaning backwards and away from the angry man, "You know, I knew a person-,"

"YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE ISN'T GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH? GETTIN' ON THE WRONG SIDE OF GENE HUNT, THAT'S WHAT. YOU SHOULD BE MORE WORRIED ABOUT YOUR WELL-BEING BECAUSE I'M THIS CLOSE," he emphasised the point by placing his index finger and thumb milimetres away from each other, "TO SNAPPING AND BASHING YOUR HEAD IN SMITH SO YOU'D BETTER SHUT IT. EITHER YOU CONFESS RIGHT NOW TO THE MURDER OR I'LL BEAT THE SHIT OUTTA YOU!" Gene shouted as he grabbed the man, and shook him by the lapels.

"I didn't kill the Henry fella, honestly," The Doctor replied, raising his hands in surrender. He was slightly annoyed by the ringing in his ears caused by the shouting of the DCI, "You have no evidence I did it and that's why you're working so hard to get a confession out of me. I suggest you let go of me and let me and my mate out on our merry way."

Gene smiled dangerously, "I hate smart arses like you. You're almost as bad as Tyler." Reluctantly, he let the man sink back down on his chair once more. The Doctor smiled as he relaxed back onto his chair but this was replaced with a grimace when Gene suddenly spun around and punched him square in the face.

"Ray, send this bugger back into the cell, I'll question 'im further later."

He watched as DS Carling led the man back to the cell. It was a pity that the other man hadn't regained consciousness yet. Frowning he put out the cigarette butt, he'd get a confession out somehow, he swore it.

* * *

Being locked up in a jail cell with Captain Jack Harkness in 1973 was not very high up on his list of thing to do before he turns 1000, especially not right after being yelled at by some over zealous potentially mentally unstable copper. Getting arrested the moment you crash through several floors of factory was hardly the welcoming party that the he would have preferred. Still, it wasn't the worst welcome he'd received.

"Can you speak now Captain?" the Doctor asked, rattling the chain connecting the handcuffs.

"Yes," Jack replied as he experimentally moved his fingers, "Everything is back in place. God, I don't think I'll ever get used to this no matter how many times I go through it."

He had gone through many re-animations throughout his eternal life. Each time was unpleasant as the next.

"You should be thanking Rose Tyler right about now, if she hadn't given you that power, you'd be dead." The Doctor commented. It didn't hurt so much to mention her name anymore.

"If not for her, I'd be dead ages ago… actually years ahead." Jack joked.

"What did you think you were doing anyway? You know how the TARDIS gets when you're around," the Doctor asked, "I thought you had learned not to try to follow me the last time I visited Cardiff."

The last time that Jack had tried to stow away on the TARDIS resulted in them being sent several hundred trillion years into the future and hunted down by cannibalistic human like beings.

A look of sadness passed across Jack's face. "You should know Doctor, you know everything," Jack replied bitterly.

Of course the Doctor knew, he was supposed to be keeping an eye out on alien threats to earth.

The Doctor frowned, "Are you upset that I left you in the dark? I was under the impression that you'd be happier not knowing."

"No, I'm not mad at you, I know you have rules you have to follow," Jack replied.

The Doctor nodded, "I'm sorry about your team."

Jack shrugged without looking the Doctor in the eye, "I was looking for some company, not pity. I thought maybe you could use some too, with Donna leaving and everything."

The Doctor frowned, "She's better off without me."

Jack smiled, "That what I tell myself too, they're in a better place."

"Did I just hear Captain Jack Harkness say that someone was better off without him?" The Doctor teased in attempts to lighten the mood. He realized that the Captain must be really depressed.

"Shut up," Jack replied, pouting. "So what do you say, after we get out of here, can I go with you?"

"Alright," the Doctor said, "As long as you don't expect me to replace Ianto."

"I'd never dream- okay, maybe I would," at this the Doctor cringed, "Don't worry though, I won't do anything," Jack laughed.

"Good, the TARDIS won't be too happy about it though," the Doctor commented.

"What, she'll be jealous that I stole her beloved Doctor away? Cutting down on your alone time? Oh don't look at me like that, Rose told me all about your infatuation with her," Jack teased, glad that the Doctor didn't reject him. "Speaking of which, do you know where she is?"

After recovering from the glare he was giving to the man sitting beside him, the Doctor paused to think. "She should be somewhere in town, somewhere I can find her, she's really intelligent and loyal."

"Ugh, I think I finally get what your other companions have been saying, no wonder you can't ever settle down with someone," Jack said grinning.

"You're one to talk mister-I'll-take-anything-with-a-hole," the Doctor countered, "and perhaps I don't want a somebody to spend a small part of my life with."

"You're still hurting huh?" Jack asked.

The Doctor understood what Jack was implying. He had never been good with relationships. Well specifically, they all ended rather disastrously. I mean, how much more wrong could it get when the person you loved was sucked into an alternate dimension? In addition, he still felt hurt at the Master's rejection. It didn't matter that the Master hated him and everything that he stood for. What mattered was that he wasn't responsible for the complete annihilation of his race; there was still another Time Lord out there. When the Master refused to regenerate, he had been abandoned and left behind… forgotten.

"I-I don't really know," the Doctor confessed in a rare moment of weakness. He wasn't normally prone to feeling so, _human_. Sure he showed compassion, and empathy, and a wide range of other emotions that could be described as human, but he normally wasn't affected by _love._ It was still an alien concept to him despite living nine hundred plus years. "I think I'm confused."

Jack smiled as he patted the Doctor on the shoulder with his free hand, "I think I get what you mean, I've been through a lot of deaths, each one painful but I've always gotten over them and managed to move on but with Ianto… I'm not sure if I'll ever be whole again."

The Doctor remained in silent contemplation. Jack seeing that he was bringing down the spirits of the Doctor decided to change the subject. "Where are we anyway?"

The Doctor looked up and frowned, "I'm not sure; the TARDIS could have sent us anywhere. I'm pretty sure we're in Manchester, sometime in the nineteen hundreds.

"Alright, at least we don't have a bunch of insane bloodthirsty lunatics on our tail," he shuddered at the memory, "Why are we locked up?"

"Hmm well I think they reckon we killed some poor bloke," the Doctor said thoughtfully, "the fat bozo was interrogating me; I forgot how crazy it was here."

"What did you say?" Jack asked.

"Nothing really, oh wait; I said we were looking for your cat on the roof," The Doctor answered.

Jack rolled his eyes, "Lovely, after all we've been through and this is the best you've got?"

"Well I can hardly say that the TARDIS sent us here after you pissed her off; honestly, that's why I don't travel with you, you mess up the central neutron discombobulator and send the spatial warp field on overdrive," The Doctor ranted.

"Well I'm sorry for being such a freak," Jack replied.

The Doctor sighed, "Next time, just tell me when you're going to stow away, it will save me a lot of grief and in this case, trouble."

Jack shrugged, "So, how are we busting out of here? You still have that screwdriver on you?"

"Of course, but we're not breaking out," The Doctor said, "They'll have to let us out eventually. I don't think it is such a good idea to have so many warrants for you, one day it's going to come back and bite you on the butt."

Jack grinned, "I have immunity right now though."

"It's going to be one hell of a job trying to explain that to those cops, especially the fat one, Gene I think his name was," the Doctor shrugged, "You can try though."

Jack scowled, "Fine, we'll do things your way." After a pause he continued, "What happened to your face?"

The Doctor scowled, "This is why I hate coppers."

* * *

The team had heard some pretty odd things that criminals have been known to say but none were as cryptic as this. It was Sam's idea to keep surveillance on the two strangers because obviously Gene wasn't going to get anything out of them without having a heart attack. He wasn't present for the interrogation but upon inspecting the tapes, he had to agree with the man, John Smith, that the guv's temper was defiantly bad for his health. Then again, so was drinking and smoking.

There were a few things that Sam knew. One, this Captain Jack bloke was probably American judging by his accent. Two, they were working for some lady, whose codename was the TARDIS, whatever TARDIS could mean. This TARDIS lady was probably in town somewhere, hopefully she wasn't causing any trouble. Three, the two people in question were obviously suffering emotional pain. "Suck it up wimps," the guv has said. Four, the Jack person was probably pretty important if he was able to get out of jail no matter what the cause of arrest was. And finally, Five: much to the guv's dismay, they probably were not the ones who killed Henry.

Oh and that Gene would probably tear up the John bloke for calling him a fat bozo.

The team had decided to let the two go. It didn't seem that they were going to get a confession out of them and they had no evidence to suggest that the two had killed Henry. Gene, who had not yet given up on the two strangers decided to get someone to tail them later and gather evidence, or at least some information on their identities.

Sam wasn't ready to let them go either. There was something about those two, he wasn't sure what. They just didn't seem – he didn't know the right word to describe them – didn't seem to fit, like they were _wrong_. Something about them bothered him, and it wasn't that the two probably worked from some secret organization.

Suddenly it hit him; it was this John Smith's shoes. They didn't fit the time frame. It was something he'd only seen in 2006, _Coverse All Stars_. They were all the rage then. His eyes widened. "There's no way…" he whispered to himself. His mind must have been playing tricks on him, he had to make sure. Perhaps this was another strange delusion that he was having. _I'm dead now, can I still have delusions? _Sam wondered. He hoped not or else he might be plagued by the test card girl for the rest of his 1973 life.

"Oi, guv, do you mind if I have a word with them before we let them free?" Sam asked.

Gene seeing the desperation in Sam's eyes answered, "I don't see how that's going to help solve the case but go ahead."

"Thanks guv," Sam said as he exited the office.

"If you do find something, let me know, I'm going to pummel that twat John Smith," Gene called after the DI.

Sam ran through the halls almost bumping into Chris on the way. With a hasty apology, he continued on his way. There was no way they could be from the future, no way. Then again, he remembered the strange terms John Smith had used: _central neutron discombobulater _and_ spatial warp field. _He had also said, "_I'm pretty sure we're in Manchester, sometime in the nineteen hundreds". _Most people knew the date around here…

He could feel his pulse pounding violently in his hand as he gripped the cell door. He wasn't sure if it was from the excitement or the running. _I am not just going to rush in there like an idiot and stare at his shoes… I'll introduce myself then I'll ask some questions. _Yes, he told himself, that's exactly what he was going to do._ What will you do if they are Converse? _A second voice in his head asked, interrupting his chain of thought. _Will you confront him? Is it worth looking like a loony in front of them and potentially loosing your job?_ Sam frowned as he contemplated what his subconscious had said. _Yes, _he replied to himself. If he was indeed seeing things from the future it was most likely that he was insane. _They won't be Converse anyway, I'm just making sure though, _he tried to convince himself.

He took one final deep breath to calm himself down and opened the cell door. "I am DI Sam Tyler and I have a few questions for you before-," he declared but stopped dead when he saw the shoes, definitely not from the 1970's.

He soon realized he wasn't the only one with their mouth hanging open. John Smith and Captain Jack looked like they'd seen a ghost.

"No way," Jack whispered, "No fucking way." His eyes widened and he looked pale. Sam wasn't an expert at reading body language but he had a hunch he knew what the two were feeling at the moment – fear.

John Smith opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. His lips kept moving as if he were willing himself to say the word.

Finally he managed to whisper:

"Master."

* * *

I'm hoping I'm not the only one who likes the way David Tennant says the word, "Master." No wonder the Master keeps getting the Doctor to say it. :P

I'm deciding to post this early because I might not be able to post next week. I'm going to be really busy for the next two weeks. I should have some more free time by Wednesday of next week but I probably won't start the next chapter until Friday night. Depending on how many people want the next chapter, I might be able to start it on Thursday. It should be posted by Sunday but we'll see.

Special thanks to those who took the time to review, it really means a lot to me.

Thanks for reading!

~Discarded Dream


	3. Chapter Three: MARS

**A/N: **My excuse for making you guys wait so long? My computer crashed and I lost my previous work. Funny how it is only the night before a test that I really start working on my fan fictions… procrastination will be my downfall.

Well actually, I'll be gone next week (Going on vacation). So I'm afraid that you'll going to have to wait a bit before the next chapter.

**Warning: **Waters of Mars **spoilers**! If you haven't watched it yet I suggest you don't read this yet!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Doctor Who or Life on Mars… however I will have to thank the person who made the Master wear the dog collar (it looks like one!) in the newest End of Time trailer. (Youtube is my best friend) it made my day – week.

* * *

**Chapter 3: MARS**

"I'm sorry?" Sam said, his eyebrows arching upwards.

The Doctor continued to stare at the man for several more seconds before shaking his head. "I'm sorry; I must have mistaken you for someone else."

Sam stared back. It was one thing to mistaken him for someone else… but another to call him "master". Master as in this Doctor was some sort of disciple? He didn't look like a kung-fu master, at least not like the ones he'd seen in the video games. The Doctor didn't seem like a very physical person either, at least, that's what the thin stringy arms and the thick-rimmed glasses in the man's pocket told him.

He shrugged and tried to compose himself. It really wouldn't do to look mentally unstable in front of your suspects, even if they probably weren't the ones who did it.

"So are you letting us go or what?" the more muscular of the two seemed to have found his voice.

Sam frowned, pausing to think whether or not he should tell them the truth. Finally he decided, "It looks like it."

The Doctor grinned while the Captain looked suspicious. "Then why are you here, if you aren't letting us go?" He rattled at the handcuff that kept him bonded to the Doctor.

"Well I said it looks like it, if you don't mind, I'd still like to have some questions answered." Sam said. It wasn't totally a lie. He did have some questions to be answered and he decided to get that done in a round-a-bout sort of way. It was probably better than looking like a psycho.

"Does this have anything to do with the murder?" Jack asked.

Sam ground his teeth together, "Just answer the questions please."

Jack looked like he was going to say something but the doctor silenced him with a raise of his hand.

"Thank you, so anyway, please state your names," Sam said trying to remain professional.

"John Smith," The Doctor said.

"Captain Jack Harkenss and who are you?" The Captain said, his teeth flashing brilliantly. He decided if he wasn't going to win against the Doctor, he might as well have some fun.

"Jack," the Doctor sighed, "Don't start."

"What? He asked this time," the Captain let his smile drop as he turned to face the Doctor.

Sam coughed to draw the attention back to him, "Okay, ages?"

The two exchanged amused glances before responding. "Thirty," the two replied in unison.

Sam raised an eyebrow but decided to press on, their ages didn't matter.

"Address?"

"He's very forward isn't he? Already asking where I live, well if you REALLY want to do it… I mean I normally have a rule for this type of thing…" The Captain commented.

The Doctor scowled, "Jack."

"What? Well if you're jealous, we could also go for a threesome…" Jack joked.

The Doctor sighed, "Ignore him."

"Aww that's mean. You know I'm joking," Jack laughed, "I only love you."

The Doctor rolled his eyes while Sam raised his eyebrows.

"You don't believe me?" Jack asked, pretending to be hurt, "You know I slept with those people because I was lonely."

The Doctor sighed, "Please unchain me from this lunatic."

Jack laughed, it was always fun to push the Doctor.

Sam had a feeling that this was going to be a very long interview. "Please answer the question."

After a long pause, the Doctor replied, "I don't have a permanent address after my old place burned down. Since then, I've been a bit of a traveler…"

"I travel with him. I was living with my partner for a while, well that was before I was dumped," Jack added on in the end.

"Where was the last place you were residing then?" Sam asked.

"Cardiff," They answered in unison.

Jack smiled, "Great minds –"

"Mine must be deteriorating," The Doctor said dryly.

"Right," Sam said noting that down. "Occupation?"

"Isn't that obvious?" Jack asked, "Captain. I'm in the Army."

"Doctor," the Doctor said.

Sam looked up at the two men. "Just answer the questions please." This was much harder then he anticipated. They weren't even taking him seriously.

"Yes officer," Jack said saluting with his free hand.

Sam sighed, "Okay, I won't bother with the background questions."

"Serious are we?" Jack interrupted.

"I'll just get to the point," Sam pressed on, taking the Doctor's advice and ignoring Jack. "Who do you work for?"

"Work for?" The Doctor replied.

"Yes, work for," Sam pressed, "I heard you mentioning something about a person codenamed the TARDIS or something.

The Doctor smiled while Jack tried not to laugh. "What makes you so sure we work for some secret organization?" Jack asked.

"Well, for one, you said you had immunity and were 'sent here' by the TARDIS. What else could it mean?" Sam asked.

"You wouldn't believe us if we said we didn't work for anyone huh?" the Doctor asked.

"Unless you can explain what you meant instead," Sam said.

"Okay, fine, I used to work for UNIT," the Doctor said, "I've been recently transferred to Torchwood to help this guy. You don't want to know all the trouble this guy has caused me."

"I'm just 'this guy' now huh?" Jack said.

"What are UNIT and Torchwood?" Sam asked as he jotted the two names down. How he wished he had Google.

"I'm afraid we're not at liberty to tell you that," Jack said professionally, "It's classified information."

"Don't bother to look it up, you won't find any record on them," The Doctor said, "They're called secret organizations for a reason."

"How do I know you're not lying?" Sam asked.

The Doctor pulled out a black piece of paper. "I guess I can show you this."

Sam nodded and jotted more notes down.

_Psychic paper?_ Jack mouthed.

The Doctor shrugged. _Does it matter?_ He mouthed back.

Sam looked up and saw the two were exchanging dark looks. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

The two jumped. "Nothing," Jack said smoothly.

"Enough questions about us though," The Doctor said looking carefully at Sam, "How about you? Is there something we can help you with?"

Sam stared at the Doctor, "What do you mean?"

The Doctor shrugged, "I have a knack of begin able to tell who needs help. That's partially the reason why people call me The Doctor. I can help."

"In other words, you look like you have a huge HELP ME sign on your forehead," Jack said bluntly.

The Doctor glared.

Sam resisted the urge to rub his forehead. Did this man know? How cold he tell? It was possible that he was from the future after all… but that was outrageous, there was no way. Even the Converse couldn't make him believe that they were from the future. Was it so far-fetched to believe that someone had designed those shoes in the past? It was entirely possible_. But not plausible_, a voice said from the back of his mind. Sam decided to ignore it and give them the benefit of the doubt.

"How do I look like I need help?" Sam asked, "I'm sure we all need help of some sort."

The Doctor thought for a moment carefully choosing his words, "There's something about you officer, something that tells me something is wrong about you. More wrong then most people. I don't mean medically either, just something about you… just like this guy that I'm chained to."

Sam looked at Jack. Like that guy? Well there were some obvious problems but he didn't think that the Doctor meant those. He tried to ignore the loud, boastful side of the Captain and realized that the smiling Jack that he was introduced and had been conversing to was probably all a façade. It was a mask - something to keep people at a distance - something to hide what he had underneath. He felt like an idiot only realizing that now. He tried to look past it. When he looked into the man's eyes he realized the Doctor was right. There was something about him that didn't seem _right. _Those eyes held more emotion then they should for someone of only thirty. He looked carefully at the Doctor too. There seemed something _off_ about him too.

Sam swallowed. "Can you help me?" Sam asked, "With whatever is wrong with me?"

Well if they were from the future there was a possibility that they could take him back. Not that he really wanted to go back, well maybe to see his mother… wait – he'd probably give her a heart attack. Well if he hadn't given her one already by committing suicide – sort of.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, "Only if you let me." After a pause he continued, "You don't want to know how weird this is."

Sam tilted his head sideways.

Jack elbowed The Doctor in the ribs. Unfortunately, this didn't go as silently as he had hoped. For one he forgot their hands were handcuffed together and the chains rattled loudly in the quiet room. The Doctor wasn't expecting it either son he let out a loud _oouf – _which to the Doctor's credit, tried to hide as a cough. Most times the Doctor was clueless enough to yell out, "What?"

"I mean… er… most people don't take too kindly to my help…" The Doctor tried to explain.

Oouf. Another elbow to the ribs.

"I mean, most people uh, think I'm a little odd," The Doctor tried again, sensing that another elbow was coming, he quickly added, "You know most people don't expect someone to just go up to them and offer help for a problem they don't know they have."

"Does this mean that you know what's wrong with you?" Jack asked.

Sam froze; he had to answer this one carefully, "No."

Jack eyed the police officer, "Right."

Sam panicked, "You know, I should report to my superior... I-I have some paperwork to get done."

He quickly left the room and shut the door. He leaned against it. _That was graceful_, he though sarcastically. _They must think I'm a lunatic for sure now._

He wasn't sure of what to make of all that he learned. He needed some time to get his thoughts in order. Suddenly he realized that the two captives were talking again. He pressed his ear to the door.

* * *

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Jack hissed.

The Doctor glared back, "What?"

"Don't you think its dangerous telling him so much? Besides we should leave this place as soon as possible. He suspect something, I have a feeling."

"I'm sure I know the rules a bit better then you, Jack." The Doctor replied coolly, "I'm just helping him."

"Yes, you're the man that makes people better," Jack mocked him using the Master's words, "You're helping him because he looks like the Master. You're still beating yourself up because you couldn't help him… that he wouldn't let you."

"Don't try to tell me how I'm feeling," The Doctor said his voice dangerously low. Jack hadn't seen the Doctor like this before. Sometimes he forgot the Doctor wasn't human.

"Then why are you acting like this?" Jack asked.

"I have to help him. I can't just leave him," The Doctor had a slight glint in his eye when he said this.

"You can't help everybody you meet. It isn't possible and you have to realize this," Jack said.

"Yes I can. I will, you just watch me… I'll help them and they'll like it too!" The Doctor said angrily.

Jack stared at the Doctor. This wasn't like him. Something happened to him since the last time they met. The Doctor had changed, and not for the better.

"Doctor…" Jack whispered trying to calm him down.

Suddenly the Doctor covered his face with his hand. "I don't learn do I?" he asked no one in particular. "After the Mars incident…"

Jack looked at him, "The explosion…?"

The Doctor nodded dejectedly, "I broke the rules Jack… I broke the rules…"

Jack looked at the Doctor sharply, "You what?"

The Doctor looked Jack in the eyes, "And do you know what happened?"

Jack just shook his head.

"Nothing," The Doctor said.

"What?!" Jack said, "But there must be rules for a rea-"

"Nothing happened. I saved her… and _nothing changed_! She still died Jack. I'm the reason she died. I'm the reason she _killed _herself." The Doctor admitted.

"What made you break the rules? Why did you…" Jack stopped. He didn't want to make The Doctor feel worse. "You know if you try to help you become the reason…"

"She was supposed to die there. She wasn't ever supposed to make it home. No one was. I managed to get her home… I managed to save her," The Doctor said.

"In doing so… she killed herself to repair the damage that had been done," Jack said, his eyes widening.

"I was selfish. I am selfish. I wanted to prove to myself that I control my fate, that I can control what happens. I needed to convince myself of this…" The Doctor said shaking his head.

"Why?" Jack asked. The Doctor was far worse off then he expected.

"Donna was right; I need someone… someone to stop me when I've gone too far. I was told that... I'm dying. I'm going to die soon and there's nothing I can do about it," The Doctor admitted.

Jack stared. Dying. The Doctor was dying. It was a foreign concept to him. Sure the Doctor had regenerated but he wasn't there to see it. It didn't mean anything back then.

"You'll still…?" Jack couldn't finish the question.

The Doctor shrugged. "I think so," he said.

"Then why…" Jack said but tried to stop himself, realizing it was a stupid question. So much for the guy who said there weren't any stupid questions.

"Why? Because I'm not like you Jack. I don't work the way you do. I won't be _me_ anymore. I don't just sit up and act like nothing's happened. I thought you'd know that Jack. I might not die but I might as well have died. I'm not like The Doctor you first met," The Doctor explained.

"I'm sorry," Jack said.

After a pause, The Doctor looked at Jack, "I should be the one apologizing."

Jack nodded, "It's nothing… I was being an insensitive jerk."

"You mean normally?" The Doctor tried to joke.

Jack grinned, "You bastard."

"You know… I don't say this often but you were right. I want to help him because I couldn't help The Master," The Doctor admitted.

"You're doing a lot of opening up, is this normal for you?" Jack asked.

"I guess knowing that you're going to die does that to you," The Doctor said.

Jack smiled, "I'll still be with you… if you want me to be."

"I think I'd like that," The Doctor said, "I'm not too sure about what I'll say later though."

Jack grinned, "I'm sure you'll find me as witty and handsome as ever."

"Jack," The Doctor sighed.

* * *

Sam's mind was racing. MARS, suicide, saving, doctor. It all sounded so familiar. It sounded familiar because it was his scenario. The MARS incident referred to the plan… the Doctor, perhaps he was a surgeon from the future – had he accepted that these people were from the future? Well at any rate, the Doctor was a surgeon who had saved a woman in a similar situation as his. When she got home she committed suicide. _Like he had._ Sam swallowed. There was too much information. Too much that he didn't understand. He hated how their conversations were so vague and open to interpretation.

Perhaps he should feel bad for the Doctor. Being terminally ill and all that but he couldn't bring himself to. Not when he was in such a dilemma. Should he just admit the truth and ask for answers? No, not yet. There was a chance that he was jumping to conclusions and hearing what he wanted to hear. He had a bit more research to do before he would draw any conclusions.

Either way, getting this Doctor's help seemed like the only way to keep them around long enough to do so. Now he only needed a reason to get Gene Hunt to keep them. How hard could that be?

* * *

Well it is now 1:44 am where I am and I'm really pooped. Well I really wanted to get this chapter up for you all before I left. I'd feel horrible leaving for a week and not posting something for you guys. Especially after the nasty cliffhanger I left you guys with last chapter. (I'm sorry)

Hmm this chapter was much darker than I anticipated but I'll try to lighten the mood a bit for the next chapter. I drew a lot of inspiration for this chapter from the Waters of Mars special. I love how Tennant managed to pull off the darker side of The Doctor. I'm sad that he's leaving soon. Oh well, I'm looking forward to the Christmas special. (Yay for Simm!Master)

Okay, enough of my ranting. I'm going to bed.

Thank you for reading and happy holidays!

~Discarded Dream


End file.
